Hardware-based inter-processing communication networks for managed devices

Abstract

Disclosed are apparatuses, systems, and techniques that implement software-agnostic transport of messages to, from, and within managed devices. In one embodiment, a managed device has an intra-device network including a plurality of units, each unit associated with a unit controller. The managed device further includes a hub controller that receives data packet(s) jointly carrying a message from an external host. The controller identifies that the one or more first data packets are associated with a given unit and forwards the data packet(s) to the corresponding unit controller. The unit controller extracts the message from the data packet(s) and stores the message in a memory associated with the unit controller.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computing component device comprising:
 an intra-device network comprising:
 a plurality of units, each coupled with a unit controller of a plurality of unit controllers; and 
 a hub controller communicatively coupled to each unit controller of the plurality of unit controllers, wherein the hub controller is to:
 receive one or more first data packets jointly comprising a first message from an external host; and 
 responsive to identifying that the one or more first data packets are associated with a first unit of the plurality of units, forward the one or more first data packets to the first unit controller of the plurality of unit controllers; and 
 
 wherein the first unit controller is to:
 extract the first message from the one or more first data packets; and 
 store the first message in a memory associated with the first unit controller. 
 
   
     
     
         2 . The computing component device of  claim 1 , wherein the first unit controller comprises a decryption circuit to decrypt the first message. 
     
     
         3 . The computing component device of  claim 1 , wherein the first unit controller is further to:
 responsive to the first message being stored in the memory associated with the first unit controller, causing an interrupt signal to be communicated to a processing device.   
     
     
         4 . The computing component device of  claim 1 , wherein the computing component device comprises at least one of a processing device or a network controller device. 
     
     
         5 . The computing component device of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of units comprises one or more of:
 a power management unit,   a temperature control unit,   a GPU system processor, or   a foundation security processor.   
     
     
         6 . The computing component device of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more first data packets comprise Management Component Transport Protocol (MCTP) packets. 
     
     
         7 . The computing component device of  claim 1 , wherein to store the first message, the first unit controller is to execute a direct memory access write to the memory associated with the first unit controller. 
     
     
         8 . The computing component device of  claim 1 , wherein the hub controller forwards the one or more first data packets to the first unit controller over a Privileged Register Interface (PRI) bus. 
     
     
         9 . The computing component device of  claim 1 , wherein forwarding the one or more first data packets by the hub controller to the first unit controller, extracting the first message from the one or more first data packets by the first unit controller and storing the first message in the memory associated with the first unit controller are performed by without software involvement. 
     
     
         10 . The computing component device of  claim 1 , wherein the hub controller is further to:
 receive one or more second data packets jointly comprising a second message from the external host, wherein at least one data packet of the one or more second data packets is received after receiving at least one earlier-arrived packet of the one or more first data packets and prior to receiving at least one later-arrived packet of the one or more first data packets; and   responsive to identifying that the one or more second data packets are associated with a second unit of the plurality of units, forward the one or more second data packets to a second unit controller of the plurality of unit controllers.   
     
     
         11 . The computing component device of  claim 1 , wherein a second unit controller of the plurality of unit controllers is to:
 retrieve a second message to the external host from a memory associated with the second unit controller;   generate one or more second data packets jointly comprising the second message; and   communicate the one or more second data packets to the hub controller; and   
       wherein the hub controller is further to:
 responsive to identifying that the one or more second data packets reference an address associated with the external host, forward the one or more second data packets to the external host. 
 
     
     
         12 . The computing component device of  claim 11 , wherein to retrieve the second message, the first unit controller is to execute a direct memory access read from the memory associated with the first unit controller. 
     
     
         13 . A computing system comprising:
 a host software;   a management controller communicatively coupled to the host software; and   a managed device communicatively coupled to the management controller, the managed device comprising:
 a plurality of units, each coupled to a unit controller of a plurality of unit controllers; and 
 a hub controller communicatively coupled to each unit controller of the plurality of unit controllers, wherein the hub controller is to:
 receive one or more first data packets jointly comprising a first message from the management controller; 
 responsive to identifying that the one or more first data packets are associated with a first unit of the plurality of units, forward the one or more first data packets to a first unit controller of the plurality of unit controllers; and 
 
 wherein the first unit controller is to:
 extract the first message from the one or more first data packets; and 
 store the first message in a memory associated with the first unit controller. 
 
   
     
     
         14 . The computing system of  claim 13 , wherein the managed device comprises at least one of a processing device or a network controller device. 
     
     
         15 . The computing system of  claim 13 , wherein the plurality of units comprises one or more of:
 a power management unit,   a temperature control unit,   a GPU system processor, or   a foundation security processor.   
     
     
         16 . The computing system of  claim 13 , wherein a second unit controller of the plurality of unit controllers is to:
 retrieve a second message to the host software from a memory associated with the second unit controller;   generate one or more second data packets jointly comprising the second message to the management controller; and   communicate the one or more second data packets to the hub controller; and   
       wherein the hub controller is further to:
 responsive to identifying that the one or more second data packets reference an address associated with at least one of the host software or the management controller, forward the one or more second data packets to the management controller. 
 
     
     
         17 . A method comprising:
 receiving, by a hub controller of a network of a managed device, one or more first data packets jointly comprising a first message from a management controller;   identifying that the one or more first data packets are associated with a first unit of a plurality of units of the network, wherein each unit of the plurality of units is associated with a unit controller of a plurality of unit controllers;   forwarding the one or more first data packets to the first unit controller of the plurality of unit controllers;   extracting, using the first unit controller, the first message from the one or more first data packets; and   storing the first message in a memory associated with the first unit controller.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the managed device comprises at least one of a processing device or a network controller device. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the plurality of units comprises one or more of:
 a power management unit,   a temperature control unit,   a GPU system processor, or   a foundation security processor.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising:
 retrieving, by a second unit controller of the plurality of unit controllers, a second message from a memory associated with the second unit controller;   generating, by the second unit controller, one or more second data packets jointly comprising the second message;   communicating, by the second unit controller, the one or more second data packets to the hub controller;   identifying, by the hub controller, that the one or more second data packets reference an address associated with at least one of the management controller or an external host; and   forwarding, by the hub controller, the one or more second data packets to the management controller.